Did I buy the correct Wheel Bearing grease?....

[Nickathome]

This pertains to my previous thread concerning greasing wheel bearings.

I had gone to the local NAPA store today to pick up a hub socket for when I get to repacking the wheel bearings. While there (I had to order the socket as they didn't have any, typical) I asked the clerk to provide me with a NLGI#2 bearing grease per Charles Talbert's suggestion. What the clerk recommended was Castrol Pyroplex Red, of which I bought two tubes just to get started with. I am curious though if this was a good choice in bearing grease. The tube only mentions that it can be used in disc brake bearings. Is this grease useable for all types of wheel bearing applications or did the clerk at the store blow smoke up my arse?

[Lifer]

I've used it on modern stuff without any problems. I've also got a small dab left of something that my dad used to use. The cardboard container is so worn that all you can read is "wheel bearing grease." I have no idea how old it is or what brand it is, but it's old. It was old when I got it, and I've had it for at least 30 years! It's thick, yellow, and has strands of chopped hemp mixed all through it. It always worked great with the loose ball bearings in my old motorcycle hubs. Do you have any idea what it is, Charles?

[CGarbee]

Wheel bearing grease that is labled for disc brake use can be use with drum brakes... They lable it that way to let you know that the formulation can withstand higher temps (most rotors don't have the mass of drums so you get more heat transfered to the bearings), but you'd have to talk to the manufacturer to learn exactly what the differences are.

I routinely use the same bearing grease in my trucks with the disc brakes as I do in the ones without...

I'm not familiar with the exact brand that you are using as I tend to use Castrol or Mobile products and my bearing grease comes in buckets, but you should be fine...

[Nickathome]

Cabell;

Thanks for the info. Where do you buy your grease? I was hoping to get this grease in tub form, but since all they had were tubes, I bought that. Its going to be a P in the A to get out as I am not going to put in any of my greaseguns because they are already being used for other greases and I don't feel like changing them over. I guess I can use a piece of PVC with a cap on the end, or a dowl stick to shove in the tube to squeeze it out. I did see bearing grease at Tractor supply in tubs that goes by the name Mystic or something similar. Since I am unfamiliar with that brand I didn't buy any. It had the same NLGI#2 labeling though...

[MSeriesRebuild]

I'm not familiar with Castrol enough to comment. Mystic products have always been reputable from the old days, however I haven't used any in years & don't know whether or not changes have taken place. I'm in agreement with using the disc brake spec grease, it is a high temp issue only. I'll have to go once again to the hydrotex or synergen brands as being the top quality. We've used it over the years in construction equipment applications where bearing failures were a problem. I recall more than one case where we replaced bearings & greased with either product, the failures stopped immediately, never reappeared. Whether or not the grease has a proper additive package blended in makes all the difference as to whether or not it stays in the bearing. If the lube bleeds out, then we know bearing failure is close behind. These products aren't cheap, however when you consider they eliminated costly down time & bearing replacements, the initial cost for grease was extremely reasonable.

[MSeriesRebuild]

I've used it on modern stuff without any problems. I've also got a small dab left of something that my dad used to use. The cardboard container is so worn that all you can read is "wheel bearing grease." I have no idea how old it is or what brand it is, but it's old. It was old when I got it, and I've had it for at least 30 years! It's thick, yellow, and has strands of chopped hemp mixed all through it. It always worked great with the loose ball bearings in my old motorcycle hubs. Do you have any idea what it is, Charles?

All wheel bearing grease used to be thick & stringy. I wouldn't use it over today's technology. In fact I wouldn't use it at all. A short answer as to why is with today's NLGI#2 products that aren't heavy & stringy have additives blended in to help retard temp break down & bleed out, etc. In the old days long before today's additive technology, the thick & stringy product was the only defense to try & keep it where it belonged. Today's products will stay put much better as well as flow much easier to keep bearings lubed far better & longer than the old stuff.

[TOM R]

the red grease should be fine for drums even though designed for disc so it is good for higher temps, the brown grease should only be used on drums, the blue grease (dryden) is waxy grease for marine applications as it does not milk up if water gets in it

[CGarbee]

Cabell;

Thanks for the info. Where do you buy your grease? ...

Depends... Mostly at Agri-Supply although I have been known to pick up stuff at Linder Machinery (Komatsu dealer, they also have great prices on Cummins parts due to Cummins-Komatsu joint ventures) or at Gregory Poole (Cat dealer) since both equipment companies are just down the street from the office and have good prices (when you buy in bulk). I also have a fondness for the CarQuest next door...

[Lifer]

The only parts store in Abingdon is NAPA. I can drive to Galesburg, about 10 miles up the road, and find another NAPA, a CarQuest, an Autozone, an O'Reilly's, an Advantage, and a Parts Plus. I usually trade with my local NAPA store, though, 'cuz I get a double discount from him...one a senior citizen discount, and the other a military retiree discount. The owner is a retired Army SGM and gives all military retirees a discount if he knows them. Autozone has the lowest list prices in my area, but by the time I figure in my discounts at NAPA and compute the fuel costs to drive that 20-mile round trip, I'm way better off at NAPA. Besides, my NAPA guy knows what fits what and knows how to use the books if the needed part isn't on the computer. I've gone in so many times over the last 20 years for a "wierd" part that he'll stop what he's doing to help me. Saves frustration on the young guys' part and he likes to see what kind of wierd part I want this time. Then, we get into a BS session about "how it was in the old days," which helps to educate the young guys. They learn something new each time I go in the store.

[CGarbee]

Lifer,
You're lucky, my NAPA is run by a bunch of clueless kids... The NAPA on the north side of town is run by an older guy and his son who both are into curved window Chevy pickups, so they know how to talk old iron and find things...

On the other hand, I can't complain too much...

The CarQuest near me has a really good staff (and a machine shop in back) with the main warehouse on the north side of town. They can get me anything out of the warehouse in about forty minutes if they don't have it in stock, and I get the State Employee discount from them tacked on to my other discounts...

About six miles from my house, I have: Adavance Auto, PepBoys, CarQuest (different location, but still good), Loop Road (good ol' boys who have a collection of street rods and are really good at finding stuff and shooting the breeze...), Fleetpride (former Stone Heavy Duty), Agri-Supply, RW Moore (John Deere heavy equipment), Linder Machinery (Komatsu heavy equipment), Gregory Poole (Caterpillar). Agri-Supply, and Tractor Supply... My biggest problem on a given day is figuring out which one I want to visit...

Grainger is on the north side of town and McMaster-Carr does internet orders, so I'm covered on the "hardware" end as well...

[Nickathome]

I have three NAPA stores within about 15 miles. One I deal with about 90% of the time and has a good knowledgable guy there who has helped me more than once. There is also a woman who knows alot. The rest so so. The other two NAPA stores are last resports as they are run by morons. The only advantage is one of those two stores is open later on Sturdays and is open Sundays. The one I go to most closes early Saturdays and isn't open at all on Sundays.

[TOM R]

hell when i was doin the rzappa joints on the jeep noone around me carries cv axle grease (knuckle butter) except in large ketchup packs and thats an expensive way to go expensive so I made my own and works great so far

you should be able to get 5 gallon buckets of grease at a tractor supply place, or truck stop

[Nickathome]

Yeah, I am going to give tractor supply another look. They had small tubs of Mystic brand bearing rease, I may just wind up using that, or may try our local John Deer place, although the latter will probably soak me for anything as they tend to be the upper crust store and their prices reflect same.

[Nickathome]

I should have stuck with the old standby. I decided the other day I wanted grease in a tub rather than mess with the tubes I bought, so I went back to my old standby NAPA store and bought a tub of NAPA brand bearing grease. Its the basic butterscotch pudding colored grease than I am familiar with but has all the same NLGI info as all the rest. I used to grease the bearings in our old pop-up camper every other year and used the stuff without ever experiencing any problems. I realize its an apples to oranges comparison between a trailer and an M37, but the fact is I won't be driving my truck all that much and I think the grease I bought will suffice. I'm going back to the other store tomorrow to pick up my hub socket and flange gaskets so will be returning the other grease.